KEY 



E - Estuarine 

 B- Beech 

 C - Coastal 



CS - Continental Shall 



ICS - Inner Continental Shell 



MI3RATION TYPE 



1 - Ratv«jm aaa.oantial Rang. 



2 - Restricted Migration 



3 - Extensive Migration 



Figure 6. Finfish and shellfish of coastal Alabama. 



Gulf Menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) 



The most abundant fish (by weight) caught commercially off the Alabama 

 coast are menhaden (Wade 1977). None were landed in Alabama, however, since 

 most go to processing plants in Mississippi. Recreational ly, menhaden are 

 not caught in numbers for consumption but rather as bait for more popular 

 species of recreational fish. Gulf menhaden spawn offshore from mid-October 

 through March. The larvae move into estuaries from February to May and 

 disperse into quiet shallow waters near shore. Juveniles move out of the 

 shoreline areas from May to July and form large schools in the deeper open 

 parts of the estuaries. Juveniles and subadults migrate from estuaries into 



17 



